Multiple closure for dishwashing machines



Oct. 5, 1948. L. A. LOEB MULQ'IPLE CLOSURE FOR DISHWASHING-MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 22, 1944 L. A. LOEB MULTIPLE CLOSURE FOR DISHWASHING MACHINES Ogt. 5, 1948.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 22, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 L. A. LOEB MULTIPLE CLOSURE FOR DISHWASHING MACHINES jpm? A Filed Feb. 22, 1944 Patented Oct. 5, 1948 MULTIPLE CLOSURE FOR DISHWASHING MACHINES LawrenceA. Loeb, New Haven, Conn.

Application February 22, 1944, Serial No. 523,440

4 Claims. (Cl. 22029) This invention relates to dish washing machines and more particularly to the construction of a cabinet and tank for such devices, including the cover or closure structure for the tank, the present application being a continuation, in part, of-my prior application, Serial No. 396,534,filed June 4; 1941.

As illustrated herein, the device is designed particularly for use as a household machine adapted to be supported from the floor. Machines of this character, in the past, have been relatively expensive constructions, and this expense has been a factor in restricting their distribution. Moreover, the present machines have some disadvantages in that the floor space required is excessive compared to the size of the tank itself, and, in view of the fact that the floor space in a modern kitchen is limited, it is desirable that the over-all dimensions in length and width of the cabinet be as near as possible to the corresponding dimensions of the tank within which the dish washing operation is performed. I v

It is also a very desirable feature of a dish washing machine that the operation of the device may be observed while the cabinet is closed. In fact, this is, in practice, the only way in which the operation can be observed, for, as a practical matter, if the cabinet is open, it is usually necessary to shut down the motor and arrest the operation of the device in order to prevent the splashing of water from the tank. For this purpose, a double cover is provided in the present embodiment of the invention, the inner or lower cover having a transparent panel through which the operation of the device can be observed while at the same time making a water-tight contact with the tank. At the same time, an upper or opaque cover is provided which fits closely over the lower cover and which upper cover may be raised independently of or coincidently with the lower cover, the latter function being performed by a single operation so that it is not necessary to first raise the upper cover and then the lower cover, separately.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a cabinet for dishwashin-g machines which shall be of improved construction.

A'further object of the invention is to provide a cabinet and tank for dishwashing machines, so constructed that the floor space required for the device will be substantially that of the corresponding dimensions of the tank available for reception of the dishes. That is, the horizontal dimensions of the outer cabinet will be substantially the same as those of the tank.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved closure or cover means for the tank or receptacle, and improved means for effecting a tight closure of the cover member with the tank itself to prevent splashing of the water therefrom. 1

l A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved closure member or cover for the receptacle such that the interior of the tank may be seen while the machine is in oper-atiomso that the operation of the device may be readily observed. a

To these and other ends the invention relates to the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a frontelevation-al View of a dishwashing machine embodying my improvement;

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the same, partly broken away for the sake of clearness;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the tank of the dishwashing machine on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

- Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the cover construction adjacent the handle;

Fig. 5 is a sectionalview on line 5-5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a sectional view on line 6-45 of Fig. 3; Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail top plan view of a cover structure of modified form, some parts being broken away for the sake of cle-arness;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on line 8-8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a top plan view of the lower dish rack;

Fig. 10 is a top plan view of an upper dish rack of slightly modified form;

Fig. 1-1 is aside view of the dish rack shown Fig. 10; r

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary view of the upper portion of the dishwashenshowing a further modified form of dish rack;

Fig. 13 is a View similar to Fig. 12 but showin a dish rack in foldedpos'ition;

Fig. 14 is a top plan view of the dish rack shown in Fig. 12; and

Fig. 15 is a sectional view on line l5l5 of Fig.

c As illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, I have shown a dishwashing machine comprising a tub or tank I0 supported upon legs or standards I l, four of which are provided, one at each corner of the bottomportion of the tank, which bottom portion is reduced in size as indicated at [2 in Figs. 1 and 3,.the bottom portion of the tank being indicated at l3. It will be understood that the tank whichis thus firmly supported upon the legs ll will be enclosed in an outer decorative case the sides of which are shown at M and I5, and the front of which is indicated at l6 (Fig. l)

Below the bottom portion of the tank is mounted a motor I], the shaft of which extends through the bottom of the tank and carries on its extended end a propeller r agitator l8.

As shown, the tank is substantially rectangular in shape in the horizontal cross section, and will preferably be made Of sheet metal or of plastic material.

Adjacent their upper" ends; the walls'of the tank afe'behfinwardly'as snows at'2fl; then"ris'e vertically for a short distance as shown at 2!, from which point they are turned outwardly as at 22 to provide a ledge uponf-which 'the covers may rest, as will be hereinafter explained. From the outer edge of this ledge, the walls of the tank rise vertically as shown at 23 and arethen turned in a horizontal direction atmZ-lfi to- "provide "the upper surface of the cabinet surrounding the cover structure, at the periphery of which they are turned downwardly as at to embrace the front andside' walls"l4, l5" arid 16, and-the rear wall- (not shown),

It will beapp'a'reiitthat, within the top surfaces MS-pro'iiidd as described abovejis an opening within which is disposed the cover structure which will now'be described and through which op'eiii "-'--"-tlie -di'shes"-' and other articles" to be cleansed 'will be' intio'ducd "into the tank." The -cover-structure'is inade of two'parts, one of these parts emanating what ma'y' be 'ter'medth'e inner or lower cover comprising a pair of flanged-or angl meinbers -21 and-28 'of rectangular form between which'members -'is-clamped a piece of glass or other"tran-sparent material 29. Packing material of rubber or the-like; as'shown at and 3 I may "be placed betweefitl'ie' flanged members and the glass so" as l to'-- secure the latter inplace and-also makea tighflse'al. Alsopbetween the depending portions of theanglejmembers' is a gasket-'32 which m'ay beformed *of sponge rubber or other suitable material and which may extend entii'ely aroundthe four-'sides'of-the cover so as to fit tightly againsttl'fe fiangedboi'tibn 22' of the tank to' make a Water=tightjoiht'therewith.-

A rod33 extends' throu'gh openings in the uprighfl' pdrtion ZS- Of -the tank and -also through openings in the angle'me'mberll to hinge this cover to-th-tanked-thatthe'cover may be swung freely to =open and-=closed positions; It will be understood-that; as -the supporting flanged surface '01 shelf 22 lies in a position substantially below the surface 24, thisproiiide's-arecess in which thiscover'is disposedsothatth'e top of the cover will be slightly below the levelof the surface HQ This disposition oi -the partsenables theuse of'a secon'd or opaque coverabo'vethe transparent cover but in a position substantially fiiisliwitli'the top of-the cabinet of the machine,

, this top surface being represented by the surface This second or opaque cover is provided with dowfiwaidly'dependingfiang'es'st at both sides and at the front thereof, this flange being omitted, however; at theba'ck assnown' in 'Flg 6. 1 The side flanges of this sec'ond cover are also perforated td'receii 'e'the rod--33so that this co'ver'will likewise be' 'hi'nged'upon this rod. It will be understood that the names" 35 willlie without and :in a ositionembracing the flang members 27 of tlie transparent"cover; so as to lie withinthe shallow' 'dpress'ion above the shelf 22.

The outside 'eover '35 is provided with a "rotat- 'ablehandle 37 as shown in FigsP 2-and ejthe shank-ofwhich fexte'ndsthrough the covefan'd enter through a slot 39 of keyhole shape in the horizontal portion of the flanged member 21 of the lower cover. From Figs. 4 and 5 it will be noted that, when the handle 37 is in the position shown, the member 38 will secure the two covers together so that both may be simultaneously lifted or swung about the hinge rod 33 by an upward pull upon the handle. When, however, the handle 31 is turned to" an angle of the memher 38 will no longer engage the flange 21 but will pass through the slot 39 and will therefore permit the raising of the upper opaque cover 35 while leaving the transparent cover in closed position, Anyone operating the machine and desiring to view its action may, by releasing the lower cover, raise the upper one and observe the actionsof the machine through the transparent member 29. Normally, the handle 3? may be left inthe position shown in Figs. 4 and 5 so that the two covers will be raised and lowered together as is of course desirable when loading or unloadmg the machine.

Itma'y here be noted that this raising of the upper cover; independently of the lower one, is

' facilitated by' om-i'ssion of the flange 36"at the backbf' the upper cover, as illu'strated inEFig'JG wherein the upper cover is shown inraised' positio'n in dotted lines;

Mountedupon the hinge' rod 33,between the portions 23' of th'e ta nkhnd the flanges :36 "of the upper cover," are angle-shaped plate'sflll' having extended 'ends lland 42 joined by an arcshaped surface 43,-and 3,111) is turned-outwardly'from the flange "36 "of-the cover '35 to engage one side of-the extensions iflfthe lip riding-along the-arc-shapedsurfade 13 when the cover-is swung" from op'e'n' to closed position; The rear" edges of the members 40' restagainst the surface '23" along the" rear wall of the tank "so that the plates' will be held againstmovement. It Will tlius be seen tliat -th movement: 'ofthe'cover s5 is limited by the engagement of the member 44 with the end portions M so that the'cover may rest in 'raisedor' open-position assho'wn in dotted line's 'in If the two covers'are'simuitaneoiislyraised, they will likewise restin' open position dde tdtlieii connection about thewing "-38 on the shank ofthehand-le '31.

Upon the front and rear'walls of the tub are provi'ded fian'ge members 45, these members having upper surfaces AB' designed to support the front and rear ends of theupper dish racks designated-generally'by the numeral 41. These dish racks 'are made in two sections hinged-together by the links 4% and pivoted 'to the members 45 at sneer-mils fig-ure- Adiae'enrtlieldwer art ortn tub-is a flanged 'memberj55 ofrectangular shape'secured to the tub walls'so' as to form a support for a supporting grid Eli-upon which grid 'is in turn "supported the lower dish rack 51' which inay be of any approved form.

In-Figs. land 8 of thed-rawin'gs, Ihave shown a construction of somewhat modified form; particu larly withrefe'rence to the means bywhich the upper and lower covers may "berai's'ed or opened simultaneously'or individually. Inthis form of my-invention,fthe upper cover 35 *is provided with ail-opening "59 through which thefingers'of the user may be inserted'to'graspfihe edges of the 'opening and raise the "upper cover, leaving the lower cover in closed position. The edge of this opening may be covered by a protective ring 68,

' of-rubber or similar material.

The flange 21 of the lower cover is likewise provided with an opening 6!, a part of which registers with the openin 59, and a tongue 62, provided on the fiange 21, within this opening, projects upwardly into the opening 59, The opening 6| in the lower cover is out back as shown at 63 in Fig. 7 on each side of the tongue 62 so that the fingers of the user may be placed below the edge portion of the cover 35 surrounding the opening 58 above the portions 63 without engaging the flange 21 of the lower cover.

If the user desires to raise the upper cover only, so as to view the operation of the machine through the transparent lower cover, the fingers are inserted in the opening 59 to grasp the edge of the cover 35 upon each side of the tongue 62, and within the portions 63 of the opening in the lower cover so that the upper cover only is engaged and raised. If, however, it is desired to raise both covers simultaneously, the user simply inserts the fingers below the lip or tongue 62 and thus engages and raises the lower cover which brings the upper cover with it.

The ornamental sides hi and I5, and the front Iii, may be conveniently assembled with the tank and held in place by having their upper ends slipped behind the flange or downturned portion 25 of the tank. The lower edges of these members similarly lie rearwardly of the upper edges of base members 65 (only one of which is shown), which extend horizontally along the lower edges of the front and side walls.

In Fig. 9 of the drawings I have shown a preferred form :of dish rack to be used in the lower part of the tub. This dish rack is provided with a pair of rings 18, and wires 'H connecting these rings to form supports for saucers or like dishes, for example. A guard 12 may be provided to surround these supports and maintain the dishes against any tendency to fall therefrom. A pair of curved or arcuate shaped wires or rods 13 may also be provided in a position slightly spaced upwardly from the base of the rack, as shown more particularly in Fig. 3. These may be employed for supporting large plates or platters, or the like. It will be understood that this rack is substantially like that shown in my prior application, above referred to.

In Figs. and 11 I have shown an upper rack comprising foldable sections 1-5 and 16 hinged together at 17. The outer portion '15 of the rack is provided with hinge pins 78 by which it is pivotally connected to the tank so that it may fold toward the wall of the tank, as shown in Fig. 3. That is, this rack not only hinges or folds upwardly in the tank, but also collapses or folds about the pivot points 11 so as to give full access to the lower dish rack for filling the same. The portion of this rack may be provided with upstanding cross members 79, while such members may be omitted from the part 18. It will be understood that these members 19 are substantially rectangular in form, having legs at their ends extending downwardly to be attached to the part 15 of the rack. I

In Figs. 12 to 15 of the drawing I have shown a further modified form of upper rack, comprising two sections 88 and 8| pivotally connected together by the hinge plates 82. The section 88 is hinged at each side, as shown at 83, to brackets 84 supported by the walls of the tank. The sections of the rack may rest upon or be supported by pins projecting outwardly fromthe walls of the tank. a

The section 88 of this rack is provided with three upstanding supports 86, 81 and 88, which are of rectangular shape, each having a horizontal cross bar and depending legs at the ends thereof. The lower ends of the legs of these members are bent at a slight angle to the body thereof and pivoted to the rack 88 at the points 89, 98 and 9 I, so that they may fold over upon the rack when it is desired to fold the latter against the wall of the tank.

This folded position is shown in Fig. 13, and it will be seen that theentire rack will nest snugly against the walls. of the tank in a very compact position. It may also be noted that the member 8 5 will fold inwardly or toward the right, as shown in Fig. 12, and that the'members 81 and 88 fold toward the left, so that the members in folded position will lie within the outlines of the, section of the rack to which they are connected. Also the slightly bent lower ends of these members will provide that the bodies thereof will, when folded downwardly, lie parallel with the base portion of the rack and fit snugly thereagainst. Stop members 92 may be provided to limit the movement of the members 81 and 88 so that they will be held in upright position. Also the members 86, 81 and 88 may be provided with cross rods 93 adjacent their lower ends, which cross rod-s will be useful in connection with the bottom of the rack in engaging the edges of dishes placed between the members 86, 81 and 88, to hold them in substantially upright position, supported upon their edges, for proper application of the washing fluid thereto.

While I have shown and described some preferred embodiments of my invention, It will be understood that it is not to be limited to all of the details shown but is capable of modification and variation within the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

l. A dish washing machine comprising a tank and a hinged cover for the tank, said cover comprising a pair of frame members of open rectangular form and a panel of transparent material clamped between said members at its edges and closing the opening within said members, said members being L-shaped in cross section and each having a depending flange, the flange of the upper being disposed in parallel spaced relation to the flange of the lower, and sealing strips between said flanges.

2. A dish washing machine having a tank, a cover for the tank having a transparent panel therein, a second cover overlying the first cover and having a depending edge flange extending downwardly over the edges of the first cover when the covers are closed, said tank having a recess in its upper surface with a shoulder below said recess, and both of said covers lying within said recess and, when in closed position, resting on said shoulder with the upper surface of the second cover being substantially flush with the upper surface of the tank.

3. A dishwashing machine comprising a tank and a hinged cover for the tank, said cover comprising a pair of frame members of open rectangular form and of L shape in cross section, said members being assembled in nested relation with the flanges of one lying parallel to and spaced from the flanges of the other, .a panel of transparent material clamped between one set of flanges of said members, and strips of sealing material REFERENCES :QITED The following references are of record in the f ljepf this. patent;

UNITEDJS'IATESPATENTS Number Name Date 681,335'*, Nelson j Aug;;27',"1901 1,036,631" Jackson Augr27, 1912 1,215, 32, ,May Feb. 13,1917

8 Name Date Daly; Feb. 2711917 Nielsen", 1 Dec. 26,1922 Brunhofh Nov.- 4, .1924 Griifiths Mar..'9,, 1926 Harvey et aL- Apr. 5, 19.27 Kendall; MayB, 1927 Summers June 17, 1930 Walker Sept. 29,;1931 Kuck et a1 Oct. 11, 1932 R0os June 20,1933 Brown; 001;. 17, 1933 Schott Dec. 12, 11933 Neely Sept. 17, 193.5 Kreuger V Oc't. 8, 1935 Snyder Nov..26, 19135 Dart Aug. 18,1936 Hays Sept. 17, 1940 Fullerton Apr. 15, 1941 Stoddard .July 13, 1943 Loeb Feb. 29,1944 

